Lea Iaia

Online health communities have emerged to play an important role in delivering support to specific categories of patients. Therefore, the focus of this research is the investigation of satisfaction and engagement intention in online communities of support for patients experiencing a stigmatizing health condition. By integrating Channel Expansion Theory and Expectation-Confirmation Theory, we developed a predictive model to understand the relationships between perceived support, satisfaction, and engagement in online health communities. Using a snowball sampling method, empirical data from 148 participants of online health communities were collected and analysed through means of structural equation modelling, considering the suitability to the sample size and its wide application in technology continuance intention research. The findings suggest that the relationship between perceived support and satisfaction is mediated by frequency of usage of online communities and individuals’ satisfaction has considerable influence on their consequent engagement. Moreover, this study highlights the moderating effect of mobile interaction on the relationship between perceived support and frequency of usage of online health communities such that the strongest association between perceived support and frequency of usage occurs for individuals who report higher usage of mobile devices to access the online community. Important managerial implications were drawn for improving participant satisfaction and maintaining engagement. Drawing on the findings online health communities play are an important source for support for stigmatized patients. Implications for decision-makers highlight the need to make those communities more accessible via mobile devices.

This chapter provides an overview of the main literature on identifying and forecasting the abilities that are expected to gain value and importance as artificial intelligence continues to evolve. It explores various techniques used to anticipate the talent needs across industries and highlights the critical role of collaboration among businesses, academic institutions, and professionals in shaping and updating the workforce competencies. To illustrate this concepts in practice, the IBM SkillsBuild program is the case study presented, demonstrating how IBM proactively identifies emerging skill demand and cultivates future talent through a combination of internal training strategies and partnerships with educational institutions. So, this chapter outlines how organizations can utilize AI to predict and develop necessary future skills for the workforce within AI-powered workplaces.

The Social Media landscape is characterized by constant and rapid changes, with new platforms emerging in the market and existing ones evolving by integrating new features. Amidst this dynamic environment, the phenomenon of Social Media Dependency (SMD) has become particularly salient. This study seeks to explore individual usage behavior on Social Media with a specific focus on SMD. In contrast to previous research that predominantly examines Social Media addiction, our emphasis lies on the utilitarian, rational, and goal-oriented aspects of Social Media usage. We analyze the impact of individual attitudes on SMD by integrating expectancy-value theory with media system dependency theory. Specifically, this paper investigates how one particular social axiom construct – Societal cynicism – influences SMD, taking into account the variations in the usage patterns between two widely used Social Media platforms: Facebook and YouTube. Through the development and validation of a research model, this research aims to shed new light on understanding the dependency phenomena within the context of Social Media.

This chapter provides an introductory vision to the potential of technological advancement for the achievement of sustainable development. It is highly recognized in literature that technology plays a major role in the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For long, companies are adopting technological advances to improve their performance and increase profits, while consumers are purchasing new devices that use advanced technologies to simplify daily tasks and improve the quality of life. Recently, the unexpected spread of Covid-19 accelerated the quick adoption of digital solutions from businesses operating in several industries, thus completely disrupting the way we work, buy, and consume. Therefore, we experience a need to provide a comprehensive understanding of technological potential in mitigating societal and environmental crises. Following this perspective, this chapter proposes a background in understanding technology as a vector to underpin sustainable development while providing solution to big societal and environmental crises and provides an overview on the following chapters of this book, to portray how the chapters of this book provide critical unexplored viewpoints about the potentiality of new technologies applied to reach and promote sustainable development.

Triple bottom line (TBL or 3BL) was coined as a wide and inspiring approach for businesses aimed at understanding how to create, track, and manage economic, social, and environmental values added. The sustainability sector is strongly increasing its relevance among academics and practitioners, and the market opportunities associated with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) are estimated at over $12 trillion per year by 2030. Although this is a promising context, a recent article suggested a rethinking of the TBL, arguing that sustainability goals’ value should not be assessed in terms of profit and loss but of people well-being and planet health, looking for a societal profit. Technology plays a crucial role in our society. Respectively, the Agenda 21 and the Paris Agreement consider technology to be essential in the pursuit of sustainable development and the achievement of the SDGs. Adding to this, the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital solutions in several fields, from the way of working to the way of buying and consuming. Companies are becoming more aware of the responsibility they have within environmental and human contexts, and people are looking for work reflecting their values and purposes to motivate them. This book aims to contribute to the understanding of the role of technology and its emerging and innovative solutions in the achievement of sustainable development while making a profit. It will be of value to researchers, academics, practitioners, and students in the fields of strategic management, entrepreneurship, management of technology and innovation, and sustainable development.

This chapter provides a comprehensive summary of this entire book. Based on a constructivist approach, it aims to reflect the collective contribution of technological advancement and digitalisation on people, planet, and profit, from the perspective of sustainable development. Focusing on a cross-functional perspective, delivered within the different chapters of this book, starting from Chapters 2 to 13, this chapter promotes the usage of a cross-functional logic in the implementation and fruition of advanced technologies in the business context. Moreover, reporting the insights of the different chapters in this book provides a set of lessons learnt through theoretical and practical research and offers a future research agenda as a guide for upcoming research.

Culinary tourism (CT) is a relevant part of the promotion of a tourist destination and its sustainability. It preserves and enhances the territorial heritage, ensures the authenticity of the place, and stimulates the sustainable development of the tourist destination. In the current pandemic context, there is a growing awareness of the need to implement sustainability practices. Several implementations are currently underway thanks to the high degree of digitisation in all aspects of communities and industries. Hence, the role of destinations’ official websites and social media in the competition between territories is even more relevant, as they promote their tangible and intangible resources to become attractive and competitive in CT. The academic literature in CT requires a deeper understanding of the technological transformations currently affecting it, considering the need for resilience due to the pandemic crisis, as well as the lack of knowledge of the digital marketing strategies implemented by tourist destinations. To shed light on these phenomena, the purpose of this research is to analyse the digital marketing strategies of international tourist destinations, in order to understand how the culinary profile, defined and conveyed by each destination’s official website regarding its cuisine and food culture, is experienced online and how it can contribute to the promotion and reinforcement of tourist destinations’ sustainability.